Holy Cross Youth Take Service Trip to Flint

Editor’s Note—Members of the Holy Cross Parish Youth Group went to Flint, MI, last month to help people in that community. Three members of the contingent have shared their feelings about the trip. While Patch would often write its own story, these three budding journalists did too good a job not to be reprinted in full. There are no names in the photo captions at the request of the Church.

By Allison Behling

On July 22, 49 high school students and adult chaperones from our parish (Holy Cross) began our service trip in Flint, MI. While in Flint, we volunteered at several ministry organizations such as soup kitchens, a food bank, a community closet, a children’s center, and Habitat for Humanity. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Flint and spending time with the community members. Parishioners, thank you for your kind financial support as well as for your thoughts and prayers. The following reflections were written by our young people.

This service trip was one of the most tiring, yet the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I worked harder than I thought I ever could. Although the things we did were small—we painted a house, weeded a garden, and played with children—through this experience, we realized that we don’t need to change the whole world to change just one person’s world. We learned that you have to start small in order to make a difference. I learned to be less selfish and realized that I have been more selfish than I thought. When I get home, I will change my view of life and remember how lucky and privileged we are to live in Deerfield. I can’t wait to come back next year. 

By Robert Suszek

What more could God give us than love, life, and community? He gives us such gifts and we openly receive them… but we give nothing back.  That’s what this week in Flint was about for me. It was about giving back. This week was about giving up more than just time to serve. This week was about putting others before ourselves. I can’t explain how much our community has done for the community of Flint, but know this—God would be proud!                                                  

By Michelle Bourbon

God has blessed me with the privileged life that I live. This week, I saw that the dilemmas that I have in my everyday life are absolutely nothing compared to the worries of some of the people in Flint. Coming into this week, I thought that I would see a town of broken people who had lost faith after everything they’ve been through. Instead, I saw a community of faith, love, and hope. I anticipated this trip to be 5 days of me giving service to the people of Flint. In the end, they gave me the greatest service of all by showing me to make the best out of a bad day and to always stay faithful. I realized “it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain”.

To better keep up with Deerfield news, follow Patch on Twitter and Facebook.